Planetary gear speed wrench



29, .5 A. L. SEAQUIST 2,520,443

PLANETARY GEAR SPEED WRENCH Filed Oct". 14, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR H ALBERT L. SEAQUIS'T ATTORNEY Aug. 29, 1950 A. .L. SEAQUIST 2,520,443

PLANETARY GEAR SPEED WRENCH Filed Oct. 14, 1946 v 2 Sheets-Shet z INVENTOR ALBERT L. SEAQUIST ATTOR NEY Patented Aug. 29, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to socket wrenches and is particularly adapted for increasing leverages and for speeding up the work being performed. The primary object of the invention is to provide a socket wrench wherein a greater leverage may be applied to the work by the wrench through a system of planetary gears within the wrench.

Another object of the invention is the speeding up of the power being applied to the work by reversing the wrench and by so doing the planetary gears within the wrench will speed up the operation directly applied to the work.

Another object of the invention is to provide means within the wrench tor applying a direct leverage to the work. The advantages of my new and improved socket wrench is the ability to onerate on the work with a normal direct leverage when so desired, and providing a means within this said wrench for applying a greater leverage to the work through gear reduction, which will cinch up the work tighter with less effort, and by reversing the position of the wrench the speed of the socket can be increased for applying and removing the nut after the nut has been loosened.

These and other incidental objects will be apparent in the drawings, specification and claim.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of my new and improved socket wrench applied to a nut and parts broken away for convenience of illustration. This view illustrates the application of the Wrench for applying direct drive to the socket.

Figure 2 is a plan View in section taken on line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1 looking in the direction indicated, parts broken away for convenience of illustration.

Figure 4 is a detail fragmentary sectional view of one of the elements contained within the wrench.

Figure 5 is an inverted plan view from that shown in Figure 2.

Figure 6 shows the wrench inverted from the position shown in Figure 1 wherein the same is applying its greatest leverage or gear reduction to the socket, parts broken away for convenience of illustration.

In the drawings:

My new and improved socket wrench consists of a main body I having a handle 2 extending therefrom. A shaft 3 is journalled in a suitable bearing at 4. A spur gear 5 is keyed to the upper end of the shaft and the lower end of the shaft extends out through the body I terminating in a socket fitting 6 adapted to receive a standard socket l, which is applied to the nut B in the usual manner. Spur gears 9 are journalled to stub shafts 1'3 which are fixedly mounted to the body i of the wrench. These shafts are threaded into the wrench at .l I and have shoulders i 2 for limiting their movement into the threaded socket. A head it is provided on the shafts It for receiving a wrench so that these stub shafts can be screwed into the body :portion or the wrench, best illustrated in Figure 1.

A removable .cap Ht, having internal teeth 15 is held in place by the plate 15. The plate 16 is secured to the upper ends of the stub shafts i B by suitable screws or bolts H. The cap M- is held to this plate by the shoulder bolt is, which is threaded into the plate at it. The bolt i8 is journalled on its upper end within the bearing 26 forming part of the cap M. This permits said cap to rotate freely over the plate it. The object of which will be later described. A socket 2! is formed in the cap l4 best illustrated in Figures 1 and 4 for receiving a polygonal stud formed on a handle 22.

I will now describe the operation of my new and improved wrench. Referring to Figure l the wrench is shown in a position for the speeding up of the action of the socket 1 when the handle 2 and the handle 22 are manipulated. For instance if the handle 22 is held stationary by the operator this will prevent the cap It from rotating, then if the handle 2 is revolved the pinion 9 will be rotated transmitting rotary movement to the spur gear 5, which will revolve the socket l at an increased speed relative to the movement of the handle 2.

In the event it is desired to hold the handle 2 stationary and revolve the handle 2?. the spur gears 5 and 9 will be rotated driving the socket l at an increased speed. In the event it is desired to increase the speed from the above speed, both the handle 22 and the handle 2 may be rotated simultaneously relative to one another in opposite directions which will double the speed of the socket.

I will now describe the operation of the wrench when attempting to apply a greater leverage to the socket T. The wrench is inverted as shown in Figure 6 from the position shown in Figure 1. The handle stud 22 is applied to the socket fitting 6 and the socket l is applied to the fitting 23 from where the stud of the handle 22 is removed, the action of the wrench is now as follows. By holding the handle 2 and rotating the handle 22 the spur gear 5 will drive the gears 9, which in turn revolve the cap [4 through the internal teeth 15 which provides a gear reduction between the spur gear 5 and the said teeth I5, which will apply a greater leverage to the socket l and to the nut 8.

I will now describe the operation of the direct application of leverage to the nut 8. Referring to Figures 2, 3 and 5 a double pawl 24 is mounted to the shaft 25 and the position of the pawl is determined by the adjustment of the lever 26 which is fixedly secured to the shaft 25. The lever 26 has a pawl 21 which engages the depressions 28 of the bottom of the wrench l holding the same in one of three positions. The central one holding the same in a neutral position. In the drawings I illustrate the pawl point 29 engaging the internal teeth l5 of the cap M.

When the pawl engages these teeth the wrench assembly is looked as a single unit so that as the handle 2 is revolved a direct drive will be delivered to the socket 7. If it is desired to work the handle 2 in the opposite direction the lever 26 will be shifted so as to bring the pawl tip 38 in engagement with the teeth l5, and as stated above when the lever 26 is in the midway position the pawl 27 will also be in its midway position until disengaging the pawl points 29 and 36 from the teeth l5 and allowing the wrench to be operated in the various ways as above described.

I do not wish to be limited to the exact mechanical structure as shown in the drawings and 1 described, as other mechanical equivalents may be substituted still coming within the scope of my claim.

I claim:

A wrench of the character described compris ing a substantially circular body having a centrally disposed bearing, a spur gear having a shaft supported in the bearing, the shaft having a socket, a circular cap fitted over the circular body, said cap having interior gear teeth, planetary gears between the spur gear and the internal gear teeth on the cap, bearings for the planetary gears, each bearing threaded at one end to engage threaded openings in the circular body portion, each said bearing having a threaded opening in its end, a plate extending over the planetary and spur gears, screws passing through the plate and engaging in the threaded openings on the bearings, a screw loosely seated in an opening formed. in the end of a socket formed in the center of the cap and threaded in the plate, whereby to retain the circular body, the plate and cap in related position, and a lever having a projection to engage either the socket in the cap or the socket in the bearing to cooperate with the handle on the circular body portion in the operation of the wrench.

ALBERT L. SEAQUIST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 66,229 Fanning July 2, 1867 268,284 Richardson Nov. 28, 1882 484,231 Nolan Oct. 11, 1892 1,417,503 Cranston May 30, 1922 1,626,719 Callison May 3, 1927 1,721,612 Yannes July 23, 1929 1,762,515 Hiersch June 10, 1930 

